The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35:10

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, or so the famous Christmas song tells us.  Although there is great joy this time of year, there is also an increase in loneliness, sadness, depression, and heartache.  Maybe you’ve had one of those weeks already: you’re fighting that cold that just won’t go away; you’re just plain tired and frustrated.  Or maybe you’ve been shopping and have become discouraged in what you’ve been able to find.  Or you’re overcome by thoughts of a loved one who has recently passed away, and you’re filled with loneliness or some other burden on your heart.

So how can we find joy in the midst of all the troubles and worries that this world brings?  We turn to Christ and His Word.  Martin Luther writes, “To achieve joy we must cling wholeheartedly to the Word and find comfort in the thought that Christ has so solemnly promised to be with us, together with the Father, and to protect us, so that no misfortune will harm us, no power of the devil and the world will crush us or tear us away from Him.  In this way we constantly find comfort and joy, and we become increasingly happy as time goes on.  The joy of the Christian endures forever (as its foundation stands forever), remains firm and increases in the midst of external sorrow and misfortune.”

As we cling to Christ and His Word we find a real joy – a lasting joy.  He promises that out of our limitations, He brings possibilities.  Out of our weaknesses, He brings strength.  Out of our timidity and fear, He brings confidence.  It is God’s intention that we be filled with joy.  The Good News is that we are not left on our own to find or achieve this joy.  We are given this joy in the gift of Christ.  The gift of Jesus, the living Word made flesh, full of grace and truth is what allows us to rejoice.  Lasting joy is found by trusting the Word of God and what is says about us: we are redeemed through Jesus Christ!

Rejoice this Advent season in the Good News that Christ our Savior is born for you!

Wake Up!

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake up from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; the day is at hand.  So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”  Romans 13:11-13

The Advent season will begin anew in a few short days.  It’s a time for living in the forgiveness of sins that God offers us daily through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It’s a time to be thankful and expectant as we look forward to Christ’s return in glory.  And according to Paul – it is time to “wake up” and to “put on Christ”.

The Christian author, Max Lucado writes, “Don’t be troubled by the return of Christ.  Don’t be anxious about things you cannot comprehend.  For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.”

Advent is the season of expectancy – looking forward to something God is doing.  What could possibly be new and exciting about the season of Advent, you say?  “We go through it every year!”

Well, because of what God has already done – the sending of His Son on that first Advent to become the Word made flesh to live, die, and rise from the dead to pay for our sin and redeem us for salvation as His adopted children – we are to “wake up” to what God is doing right now to bring this same salvation to the world around us.  God is with us through the means of grace – Word and Sacrament – strengthening and nourishing us for life in Him.

That’s the excitement and the expectancy of Advent.  Christ comes to us.  He is Immanuel – God with us!  In and amongst the darkness of our world, Christ comes to us and abides with us.  He has given us the gift of salvation that is ours now!  The day is at hand.  So then let us cast off the works or darkness and put on the armor of light.

What a great gift our Savior gives to us this Advent!

Throwback Thursday

Thursdays on social media can be fun.  Many people participate in the #ThrowbackThursday craze.  Pictures are posted all over of good memories from the past.  Trips and vacations.  Good times from back in college.  Memories of growing up.  Remembering friends and loved ones.  The list could go on and on.  I'm sure one of the reasons Throwback Thursday is so popular is because of the good feeling we get when we remember fond times from the past.

The devil, though, would have us celebrate a different kind of Throwback Thursday.  You see, one of the many devices the devil uses is to throwback sins in our faces.  The devil loves to bring back old feelings of guilt over poor decisions.  He loves to drudge up old grudges, open old and painful wounds, and throw past sins back at us.  As the devil puts up his slideshow of our painful memories and failures, he throws some difficult questions our way.  "How could God possibly love you?  How could God really forgive you for that?"

The good news is that no matter what kind of accusations the devil throws our way we have the cross of Jesus Christ.  "If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1:8-9.  Our Savior lived the perfect life that we simply could not, died for the very sins the devil accuses us of, and rose victoriously from the grave to ensure victory over death and the devil - for us!

So when the devil throws your sins, guilt, and pains back at you - respond with the cross.  Throw back at him the victorious words, "I am baptized into Christ".  The devil has no response for that - for you are a forgiven and redeemed child of God!

Satan, hear this proclamation:  I am baptized into Christ!

Drop your ugly accusation, I am not so soon enticed.

Now that to the font I've traveled, All your might has come unraveled,

And against your tyranny, God, my Lord, unites with me!

LSB #594



Veterans Day

Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

As our nation celebrates Veteran’s Day, we have the privilege to say “thank you” and offer our collective debt to our fellow citizens who have served our country well.  We live in a country that offers far too much honor and recognition to sports figures, movie stars, music and TV personalities whom we misguidedly call “heroes and role models.”  On this one day of the year, we thank our Veterans and remember their bravery and courage – but this day should inspire and encourage us to honor our Veterans – our true heroes and recognize them as role models for they are truly the finest soldiers in the world.

Veterans Day must never be relegated to a one-day remembrance but a daily prayer of thanksgiving to God for the men and women - our grandparents and great grandparents, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, sons and daughters - whom we honor as we live in the freedom they have given to us with the gift of themselves to serve both God and country.

So as this Veterans Day evokes such great emotion and patriotism, I pray that it also leads us to seek the comfort and promises of God as we honor our heroes to the glory of Jesus Christ.

In Joshua chapter 1, we find Joshua, mourning his mentor and friend, Moses, who had died; but his greatest challenges still were ahead of him – the Promised Land wasn’t theirs yet; there were battles to be fought, a war to be waged – but all he had to do was remember the promise God had given him.

“The Lord your God is with you wherever you go”.  That is the promise Joshua held onto, the promise our Veterans held onto as they served God and our country, and the promise that all of us as Christians hold onto as we live daily in the freedom God has given us through the service of our Veterans.

May God continue to bless our Veterans and our Country this and every day – and may the freedom we enjoy lead us to give thanks to God for His steadfast love and His sure and certain promises!

 

All Saints' Day

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. 1 John 5:4

The celebration of All Saints' Day can be summarized in one word – victory! This is not victory in the worldly sense of winning a game or something like that – but the victory we celebrate is the victory won for us and given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The world sees victory in a different way. In the sports world, one of the most recognizable symbols of victory is the Nike “swoosh”. Nike has made millions of dollars because people want to wear that same “swoosh” that numerous championship athletes wear. In fact, the brand name “Nike” comes from the Greek word “nikos” which means – victory. But of far more importance than any sports victory is the victory spoken of in 1 John 5:4, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world”.

This All Saints' Day we celebrate the victory that was won for us by Jesus Christ – a victory that has overcome the world and the sin and death that it includes. As we remember our loved ones who have died and are now rejoicing in eternal life – we give thanks to God for the victory he won for them to give them eternal life. We also rejoice in the certain fact that Christ’s victory is our victory – not just when we die, but right now that victory is ours!
As we celebrate All Saints' Day, let our hearts and minds rejoice along with all the saints on earth and in heaven as we remember the victory that is ours through Jesus Christ!



Reformation Freedom

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:34-36

Are you free? Sometimes we’re not sure how to answer that question. We live in a “free” country but there always seems to be something that has a hold on us. Professor Higgens, in the movie “My Fair Lady,” has this line: “I am an ordinary man who desires nothing more than just an ordinary chance to live exactly as I like and to do precisely what I want.” That’s what freedom means to most people. The chance to do whatever we want, whenever and however we want to do it.

Which is more frightening to you – slavery or freedom? Why would freedom be frightening? Because it involves the most change. As frightening as slavery is, especially slavery to sin which causes death, it seems safe because we’ve been down that road before. The road looks something like this: we sin, we feel guilty, we promise to do better next time, we sin again, we feel guilty, and after many times down this road, we come to the resolution: maybe it’s just the way I am. I just wasn’t cut out to be what God calls me to be.

Freedom from and freedom to are often in conflict. Christian freedom is freedom from the bondage of sin, death and the power of the devil but not freedom from God. Christian freedom is freedom to live according to God’s will, not freedom to do whatever we please.

The Pharisees said, “We are free! But were they really? All slavery is bad, but a slavery that parades around as freedom is worse. Like the Pharisees, we too will listen to Jesus about many things. We love to hear of eternal life, about God giving us our daily bread, about Jesus being with us always and we like the idea of His judging those wicked people - but confront us with our grudges, our lack of stewardship, our lack of daily devotions and Bible Study - and we put up our defenses. It has been said, “You can tell a Lutheran from far off, but up close, you can’t tell them anything.” It’s not that we deny our sins. But being slaves to sin? Never. And yet, whenever we sin, we do not do what we freely choose, but we have done what sin demands.

One of the tools of slavery is legalism. Legalism is slavery made easy. If the sermon today had a list of 10 rules to make you free – that would be so easy. You could go home today and begin working on completing the list. But what would be the result? Your outside would sparkle. But inside, something would be missing. Legalism is a slow torture - suffocation of the Holy Spirit and an amputation of the cross. And the question will always be - have I done enough to be set free? 

We know that there is no way we could ever do enough to earn freedom on our own. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:20 says, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” But thanks be to God, for he gives us the free gift of redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is the pathway of the most resistance. The Gospel meets the resistance of sin head on with the cross of Christ. The Law shows us our sinfulness but the Gospel shows us God’s freeing rescue from that sinfulness. You know why roads and rivers so crooked. It is much easier to avoid confrontation than to burrow through the obstacle. This is especially true when it comes to sin – but Jesus leads us on the pathway of the most resistance: freedom!

The freedom Jesus had shows us our bondage. John chapter 8 begins with a mob bringing a woman to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery. The mob wanted to stone her, but here Jesus reveals freedom. “Let him who is without sin throw the first stone to condemn her.” Freedom is grace. Our freedom is found in what Christ has already done for us and gives to us.

Martin Luther knew all about the chains of sin, legalism and slavery. He was a serious young man but was bound by the terrible chains of guilt and the compulsion to save himself. He tried to break the chains with hours of study, becoming a monk, training to be a priest, begging, fasting, and praying.

Luther discovered that God pronounced us free. Luther stated that before this discovery through the Holy Spirit, he had looked on Jesus as an angry judge and taskmaster ready to strike him down in his sin, rather than a Savior who had become man to set him free from that sin. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul gave the assurance that Luther cherished: “We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.” This is the heart of the Reformation - receiving the gift of freedom through the saving work of Christ.

God’s freedom is ours by grace alone. Grace is God’s idea, God’s work and His expense - His Son on the cross. He offers grace to everyone who believes – not everyone who achieves; not everyone who succeeds - but everyone who believes. We are now free to forgive rather than hold a grudge; free to pray rather than worry; free to love rather than squabble; free to face temptation head on rather than fall into sin.

God’s freedom is ours by faith alone. God wants us to be “at home” in His freedom. Knowing that the devil is always seeking to lead us astray, to attack the freedom God gives - faith leads us to stand on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Faith clings to the cross alone and rests in Jesus’ strength and refuge, not our own.

God’s freedom is ours by Scripture alone. To keep us steadfast in the Truth, God has given us His Word. Freedom for God’s people always came from getting back into the Word. The Word reveals God’s will and plan for us as His people - to be His people enjoying the quality of freedom that lasts.

Freedom has the last word: Truth! Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And that Truth supercedes all that we have learned, all the traditions we have followed, all the ways that have been practiced in the past. It is the place where we begin our new life of freedom.

The Truth of the entire Scriptures is the source of our faith and life. When we are faced with illness, tragedy, dissension, or weakness; we can look to our Heavenly Father through the Cross of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We were not made for the bondage we keep living in.

The walk of freedom happens on the narrow road of continuing in God’s Word. John 8:31-32 says, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus says that, by abiding in His Word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Note the word – abiding, continuing to be in God’s word. It is active and progressive.

Daily satan tempts us. Daily he speaks the lie that freedom is frightening and slavery is safe and secure. But Jesus provides the last word for daily victory: The salvation and new life revealed in His living Word - our Savior. That is our Reformation heritage. Repentance and faith are not once-in-a-while actions but the entire life and attitude of the Christian. To shatter our chains, Jesus revealed the Truth - His obedient life to the will of God, His sacrificial death to pay for our sins and the resurrection from the grave to give us victory.

Again I ask you: Are you free? Through the cross, your answer is yes! Jesus gives us our freedom and defends our freedom with the cross - the very same cross we received on our foreheads and hearts in Baptism. Enjoy the freedom that God gives, pronounces and defends for us through the cross of His Son. And by that Truth alone, live now in the freedom that makes a difference for eternity!

 

Royals

As game 3 of the World Series approaches the excitement is building, especially in Missouri as Royals fans have been waiting 29 years for this World Series!  The excitement has affected many things, including the music that is played or not played on the radio.

Before the World Series began, a radio station from San Francisco announced they would not be playing a popular song by Lorde called "Royals", which was inspired by a picture of Royals great George Brett.  A Kansas City radio station responded by saying it would be playing the song every hour on the hour in honor of the American League Champion Royals.

The song taking center stage has a refrain that begins with the phrase, "And we'll never be royals".  As Christians we can rejoice that we are indeed "royals".  1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

As Christians we have been chosen by God through the work of the Holy Spirit, who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth.  Through His gift of Baptism, we have been made God's children - heirs with Christ of the everlasting riches of heaven!  We have been clothed with the royal robe of Christ's righteousness which makes us blameless in God's sight and worthy of the royal banquet He has prepared for His people.

We have to admit that there are a lot of times we don't feel so royal.  We face many "giants" in life such as our sinful nature, relationship issues, financial issues, health problems, loss of loved ones, and the list could go on.  Take heart Christian royals, by God's help we have a good track record against the giants...just ask David!



Victory Formation

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

 

There's nothing a football fan loves to see more than his team take the field and get into the victory formation.  Being of fan of the winningest college football program in history has given me plenty of opportunities to see the victory formation.  Victory formation means the game is all but over.  All the team has to do is snap the football and have the quarterback take a knee and run the clock out.  Three...two...one...VICTORY!

 

Victory is also a term that is important in the life of a Christian.  Paul writes about the victory that Christ won over sin, death, and the power of the devil in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.  Death has lost its sting because Christ has swallowed up death forever.  Christ lived the perfect life required by the Law, died the death our sin deserves, and rose from the grave to assure victory over death for all who put their faith in Him!

 

So what does the "victory formation" look like in the life of a Christian?  For the Christian victory formation is "taking a knee" at the foot of the cross.  You see, the foot of the cross is where we can lay all our sins and burdens.  Christ took those sins and burdens upon Himself on the cross.  He suffered and died for our sins and burdens so that we don't have to hold on to them. 

 

Christ has already won the victory!  Through Baptism into Christ we share in His victory.  The life of a Christian then is one of daily assuming the victory formation - taking a knee at the foot of the cross - and rejoicing the in the victory Christ gives!



Whose Image?

And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Matthew 22:20-21

In Matthew chapter 22, Jesus is asked a trick question.  Often times the “trick” of a trick question is that it is based on a false premise.  A very famous trick question took place in one of the seven debates between young Abraham Lincoln and his opponent, Stephen A. Douglas during the Fall of 1858.  Douglas asked Lincoln a pointed question, and Lincoln had offered a very lengthy and very evasive answer.  Finally, Douglas got angry and said he didn’t want a long answer, but just a simple “yes” or “no.”  Douglas then challenged Lincoln, “Ask me any question and I can answer it with a simple “yes” or “no.”  And Lincoln replied, “Have you stopped beating your wife?”  Douglas could only offer silence.

In a similar way, the trick question presented to Jesus set up a trap: Answering the question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” with a “no” answer, Jesus would have been reported to the Roman Empire and accused of an act of revolution against Rome and the Emperor.  But answering with a “yes,” would have offended the nationalistic fervor of the Jews who were convinced that the Messiah would be sent by God to overthrow the Romans and restore the state of Israel.  For such people to pay taxes with a coin that had Caesar’s image on one side as a divine god and on the other side had Caesar depicted as the high priest - was considered an act of religious disobedience.  The trap was set.

The trick question asked of Jesus was based on a false premise:  Where does God belong?  Where does God fit in?  The assumption is that life can be divided into neat little categories, with everything nicely filed into its own slot, including God.  Take money, for example.  What do you do when you get your income check?  Divide it up, of course; it’s called budgeting - so much for housing, so much for food, so much for utilities, so much for fuel and car expenses, so much for God.  Our priorities are sorted out by where our money gets filed.  We can do the same with time, since time, like money, is given to us in limited quantities and so it must also be budgeted - so much for work or school, so much for travel, so much for eating and sleeping, so much for recreation and entertainment, so much for God.  You have to prioritize it or you run out of it. 

In both examples, there is a basic mistake - a false premise.  Did you catch it?  You may have noticed that with both money and time, I put God at the end of the list.  How do we correct that?  We may say, “In light of the First Commandment, we should probably say that God is first rather than last, right?”  But that is the REAL mistake: The assumption that God belongs as ONE of our priorities or ONE area of our lives as if God is somehow on par with everything else that claims our attention and our allegiance in life.  Would we ever say to God: You, my God and Savior, the One who has given me eternal life - You are on an equal par with my family, my job, my sports teams, my recreation, my house and car?  And yet, in our sinful lives, that’s how we treat God in our thoughts, words and deeds.

Jesus could pick up each one of us, like he held the coin in Matthew 22, and ask the same question, “Whose image and likeness is on this?”  The answer, we know, goes all the way back to creation: “Let Us make man in OUR likeness, in OUR image” and it goes all the way back to our Baptism: “Receive the sign of the cross of Christ Crucified upon your forehead and heart to mark you as His redeemed.”

Of course, someone might have argued with Jesus that day as well as today:  “But no matter whose picture is on that coin, it’s mine.  I earned it.”  Today we hear things like, “It’s my life - I’ll do with it as I please.”  “It’s my body - I’ll make the choices I want to make.”  And to that argument, Jesus has this answer: “If that’s so, then let’s take another look at you - because I earned YOU.  I created YOU.  I gave My life, I left heaven to take on human flesh to live, to die, and to rise from the dead to buy YOU back - to redeem YOU.  I suffered YOUR punishment, the punishment YOU deserve because of YOUR sin and I paid YOUR debt in full in order that YOU might be forgiven and restored to the image of God.  The inscription on YOU is unmistakable - YOU belong to Me.”

           

Our life, because of the perfect life, atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, is not a matter of flipping a coin to see where God belongs in our life, or to see where God fits in to our daily priorities: but instead, render to God what is His - We belong to Him from head to toe; heart, mind, soul and strength - we belong to God alone!

Columbus Day

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… you probably know the rest of the story. Today the country celebrates Columbus Day. Growing up we all learned about Columbus and his journey that led to the discovery of America. But what you may not realize is just how much of an example Christopher Columbus was of having faith. For 70 days, between August 3rd and October 12th, Columbus and his men sailed west into “nothingness”. They had been warned that their journey was foolish – because they were bound to fall off the face of the earth!

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Christopher Columbus certainly had faith in things not seen – he most certainly walked by faith and not by sight – for if his faith was by sight, he would have given up long before day 70 of his journey.

Research shows that Columbus was a Christian man, and his story is certainly a good illustration of faith. Washington Irving writes of Christopher Columbus: "He was devoutly pious: religion mingled with the whole course of his thoughts and actions, and shone forth in his most private and unstudied writings. Whenever he made any great discovery, he celebrated it by solemn thanks to God. The voice of prayer and melody of praise rose from his ships when they first beheld the New World, and his first action on landing was to prostrate himself upon the earth and return thanksgivings. Every evening the Salve Regina and other vesper hymns were chanted by his crew, and masses were performed in the beautiful groves bordering the wild shores of this heathen land. All his great enterprises were undertaken in the name of the Holy Trinity.”

Columbus was certain that his journey would not lead to falling off the earth, but that he would reach his destination. Likewise, our journey of faith is not a journey we walk by sight, but one that we walk with confidence and certainty – knowing our destination is eternal life in heaven.

The Lord has given us our faith through Baptism, and continues to strengthen that faith through His Word and Sacrament. It’s that faith our Lord gives and nourishes that gives us the confidence of knowing our journey does not end in nothingness – but in the eternal life that has been given to us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

May the Lord bless you this week as you walk – not by sight – but by faith in the sure and certain promises of God.

Fragrant Sacrifices and Offerings

"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  Ephesians 5:2

 

Tomorrow is LWML Sunday, a day when we celebrate the work of the Lord done through the ladies of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League.  The theme this year is "Fragrant Sacrifices and Offerings" based on Ephesians 5:2.  The theme this year leads us to focus on the One who enables the LWML and all Christians to walk together in love - Jesus Christ.

 

The imagery of fragrant offerings and sacrifices points back to the temple sacrifices of the Old Testament.  In Ephesians 5:2 Paul is writing about how Christ loved us so much that He offered Himself up as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn't, died the death we deserve, and rose victorious from the grave so that we would have eternal life through His sacrifice.

 

Out of response for the love shown to us in Christ, and by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are enabled and equipped to walk in love and point others to the Savior.  As Christians, we live out our lives in service to our Lord.  As we do - others are shown the love that comes from Christ.  As our Lord says in Matthew 5:16, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

 

May all the work we do for the Lord serve to show others the goodness, mercy, and love of our Heavenly Father shown to us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

 



The Devil's Beatitudes

 

The Beatitudes are one of the most familiar and loved parts of Scripture.  How would the beatitudes look, though, if the devil were to write his own.  I recently came across a list called, "The Devil's Beatitudes" and it reads like this:



Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour a week with their fellow Christians - they are my best workers.

Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked - I can use them.

Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church - they are my missionaries.

Blessed are the trouble makers - they shall be called my children.

Blessed are the complainers - I'm all ears to them.

Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes - for they get nothing out of his sermons.

Blessed are those who gossip - for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.

Blessed are those who are easily offended - for they will soon get angry and quit.

Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God's work - for they are my helpers.

Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister - for he shall be with me forever!

Blessed are you who, when you read this think it is about other people and not yourself - I've got you too!

Unfortunately, all of us would have to admit that far too often the devil's beatitudes seem to fit us more than  our Lord's words in Matthew 5.  It's not until we understand that the beatitudes in Matthew 5 are about how Christ has made us blessed, that we can truly understand and know that we indeed are blessed.

Run the beatitudes according to Christ. Sinners can’t do anything perfectly, but Jesus has done all things well. And why has He done all things well? For you. He’s done them so that He might give you the blessings.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” If you want to see perfect humility, look at Jesus. Look at the Son of God who left heaven to be born of Mary and laid in a manger. Look at the King of kings who didn’t seize the world for Himself, but lived without a home to call His own; and who humbly bore your sins to the cross. He went about being your Savior in greatest humility, so that you might be forgiven your sins of pride. His is the Kingdom of Heaven, and He gives it to you.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus mourned. He wept at the death of Lazarus, at the wages of sin. But He did more than grieve. He went to the cross to destroy death, to defeat the grave. He did so with the confidence that His Father would raise Him from the dead, with the comfort that His death would win salvation for all. He didn’t delight in the plight of man or shrug and leave us to condemnation. He mourned. He mourned perfectly, without ulterior motive, so that you might be delivered from death and be comforted with life.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Jesus didn’t win salvation by a show of strength, but by His humble obedience even to death on the cross. That’s how He defeated the ruler of this world. The earth is His even now, but He will create it anew on the Last Day. For you.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” For the sake of your righteousness, Jesus hungered at the start of His ministry and thirsted at the end. He fasted in the wilderness while resisting the devil’s temptation so that He might remain righteous and give that righteousness to you. On the cross, He cried out, “I thirst,” as His Father condemned Him for all of your unrighteousness—so that your need for forgiveness might be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Christ mercifully went to the cross to reverse the curse of sin. Raised from the dead, He has mercy and grace to give to you.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The risen, pure Son of God has ascended into heaven, sits enthroned at His Father’s right hand. He sees God. And because He has forgiven you, He will raise you up to heaven, too. Purified by Him, you will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The only-begotten Son of God became flesh to restore peace between God and sinful man—that’s what the angels sang the night He was born. His first words to His disciples after the Resurrection were, “Peace be with you.” He sets you at peace with God by forgiving your sins. That makes you a son of God, an heir of heaven.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Who else is this but Jesus? Pilate even declared Him innocent—righteous—three times! But despite that verdict, Jesus was scourged, beaten and crucified precisely for being the righteous Son of God. But that suffering opened the way to heaven for you, and the kingdom of heaven belongs to Jesus.

Christ has done all these things for you; and now, when He forgives your sins, He gives you every last one of these blessings. That explains the final beatitude. So far, it’s been “blessed are those who.” Now it’s “Blessed are you:” “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.” Why are you blessed—because you earn it by being reviled and persecuted? No, but because it’s on Jesus’ account. It’s because you bear His name, because you are His. If you are His, then the kingdom of heaven and every blessing is yours. Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you!

But if you’re His, then the devil, world and sinful flesh will do their best to make you feel reviled, persecuted and the target of all sorts of evil. Why? So that you don’t believe you’re blessed. So Jesus says, “Even if persecution and evil seek to persuade you otherwise, hear My Word, hear My promise, and know that I say you are blessed. For My sake, yours is the kingdom of heaven.”

You are blessed in Christ, blessed in Him with every good thing from God. These beatitudes are the Word of God, and we trust the Word to be true by faith, even if we do not see it. We are not people free of trouble. We each have trials and suffering: But despite these things, know that you are blessed.

Are you poor in spirit, or just plain poor? The devil will say it’s proof God doesn’t love you. But Jesus says, “No! Blessed are you! Even if you have little now, the kingdom of heaven is yours!”

Do you mourn? The devil will use your sin as proof that God only curses you. Jesus says, “Blessed are you! In a dying world, it will be given to you to mourn. But I will comfort you. In heaven I will wipe away every tear from your eye.”

Are you meek? That’s not a way to be successful in a dog-eat-dog world, and the world has names for you like “victim” or “sucker,” which are not synonyms for “winner” or “blessed.” But Jesus says, “This world is passing away, and I will create a new heaven and a new earth. It’s yours. Blessed are you!”

Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? If you take your sinfulness seriously, then of course you do because you know what you lack. But blessed are you in Christ! “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Christ makes you righteous, no matter how your conscience and memory might still accuse you. Blessed are you.

Are you merciful, pure in heart and one who desires peace? This is a world where success comes at the expense of others, comes from cutting corners and selling your soul, comes at dividing people to gain power. Christian love may not lead to much worldly success at all; but Christ says, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Blessed are you, because I am merciful to you. I call you My beloved child. I make you righteous, and you will see Me face to face.”

Christ has fulfilled the beatitudes perfectly on His way to the cross. Having died for your sins, He is risen to give His blessings of grace and life and every good thing. By His grace, you are righteous - you are blessed - and you are His!

 



 



God Is For Us

What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31

 

Sometimes, even cartoons can be harsh.  I once saw a “Peanuts” cartoon where Lucy says to Charlie Brown, “Sometimes I feel we are not communicating: You, Charlie Brown, are a foul ball in the line drive of life.  You’re often in the shadow of your own goal post.  You’re a miscue.  You’re 3 putts on the 18^th green.  You are a 7-10 split in the 10^th frame.  You have dropped a rod and reel in the lake of life.  You’re a missed free throw; You’re a shanked 9-iron; a called third strike; a bug on the windshield of life!  Do you understand?  Have I made myself clear, Charlie Brown!”

There may be times when we feel like Charlie Brown.  Our circumstances in life may cause us to ask, “Is God for us?”  I’ve heard people say that they truly believe that God is working against them.  They pray for certain things to happen, and, later, when it doesn’t, they think that God didn’t want them to have success.  It is that type of thinking that God’s Word dispels.  It has been that type of mentality that has kept churches stagnated and individuals from growing and maturing.  It’s that type of mentality that leads people to say things like: “Maybe it wasn’t meant for me to be married happily ever after.  Maybe I am always supposed to be sick or poor. Maybe God doesn’t have anything better planned for me.”  Because of past failures and disappointments, we become filled with doubts, anxieties and fears.       

But the Gospel may be summarized in four small words: God is for us!  God has given us this Good News to apply to our own lives and He has given us this Good News to share with a dying and hurting world: God is for us!  No matter who you are.  Regardless of what you have done.  In spite of where you are in your walk with Him.  You are not on the battlefield alone.  God has your back.  He is walking with you.  David once wrote, “God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble.”  God is present in each of our troubling times.  Jesus Himself said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Wherever you are, whatever your situation, and whoever you may be – God is with you and God is for you.

Satan is always looking to accuse, to pile on the guilt, to rub our circumstances in our faces to convince us that God has abandoned us.  Satan is quick to put people in our path that will tear us down, gossip about our weaknesses and our struggles; people who will remind us of our limitations and our boundaries – but satan doesn’t have an answer for the Cross.  There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Christ Jesus comes to our defense.  He provides for us.  As the Good Shepherd, He tells us that nothing will snatch us out of His hand.  As our Cornerstone and Foundation, He says build on Me, and WHEN the flooding rains come, AND THEY WILL COME, they will beat against you but you will remain standing.  As the Vine, He will bear fruit through His branches as they remain in Him.  The God who willingly gave His own Son for us while we were yet sinners, is more than willing and able to give us all THINGS.

God is for us – and because he is for us we have been justified.  Through the giving and shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross, God sees us “just as if we had never sinned.”  That is what we have been given through the cross.  The victory of Christ is ours.  As Christians, we can place our confidence in the fact that no matter what we face in life we know – God is with us, and God is for us.

 

 

Unlimited Grace

And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:16-17

All you can eat buffets, unlimited cell-phone minutes, unlimited internet data usage, Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta bowl…we live in a society that loves things that are boundless and inexhaustible.  We don’t like to have limits put on us.

The first chapter of John gives us great reasons to rejoice.  The greatest unlimited thing we have to celebrate is the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Martin Luther writes, “Jesus is an interminable well, the chief source of all grace, truth, righteousness, wisdom, and life, without limit, measure, or end.”

We give thanks to God that the grace of Christ is without end.  Consider the humbling and comforting reality of the gifts that God gives us.  Daily we fail to live up the righteous standard of God’s Law.  The Law of God calls us to repent as we consider our sins in its light, and it leads us to Christ, who is the giver of all grace and the source of all truth.  There is no greater joy than the joy found in reflecting upon the measureless and endless grace that Christ gives us!

Despite our numerous failings – God is faithful to us.  Through Christ we receive unlimited grace.  His grace never runs out!  Christ has taken our sin and the eternal effects of that sin and He has in return given us the free gift of grace – unlimited grace!

Forgiveness is our Policy

“Peter came up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  As many as seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”  Matthew 18:21-22

I once saw a sign hanging in a bank that said, “To err is human; to forgive is not our policy.”  For many of us, forgiveness is not our policy.  Instead we tend to hold grudges that can sometimes even last for years.  It is not easy to forgive and forget.  Jesus tells us that tells us that forgiveness should be our policy.  In Matthew chapter 18 Jesus tells Peter to forgive not just seven times, but seventy times seven.  This section of God's Word tells us a great deal about forgiveness.

Peter’s suggestion of forgiving someone who sinned against him seven times is commendable.  The rabbis back then taught that you had to forgive someone three times and then you could retaliate.  The fourth time you could do whatever you liked.  In fact, they mistakenly taught that God only forgives three times.  Peter doubled that and added one more for good measure, probably thinking it would impress Jesus. 

Jesus answer must have surprised Peter, not seven times, but seventy times seven times.  That’s 490 times.  Now, 490 is not an exact number of times that we are to forgive someone.  We do not need to keep track of how many times we have forgiven someone.  Jesus does not mean for us to actually go out and forgive people 490 times.  Instead, seventy times seven means that there is no limit to the number of times we are to forgive someone.  Actually, if you were to count, by the time you reach 490, you would be in the habit of continual and unlimited forgiveness.  That is exactly the point that Jesus is making for us today; you don’t keep score when it comes to forgiveness.  He wants us to be in the habit of forgiving others without limits.

Forgiveness is very difficult because it calls for a renewed personal relationship where things are as though nothing happened between the people involved.  We hold grudges all the time, sometimes it takes us years before we are able to forgive someone who has hurt us.  Another reason why it is hard for us to forgive others is that we have a hard time seeing the big picture.  All we see and focus on is how we have been hurt and the immediate consequences of that.  We don’t see the main picture.  We don’t see how something that we are upset and angry with someone about now won’t really mean anything in the future.

As Christians we need to see the example of forgiveness that Jesus has given to us.  C.S. Lewis once said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has completely forgiven the inexcusable in us.  Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  Because of the forgiveness that we all have received we can tolerate those who irritate us, and we can forgive our friends and family members when they do wrong against us.

It is in the cross that God wants to be known and where He reveals His forgiveness and Himself for our good.  Jesus went to the cross for all of our sins.  He died for the sins that we still hold grudges about today, yet he forgives us of those sins through his death and resurrection.  From the cross Jesus even showed us true forgiveness when he prayed for God to forgive the sins of those who mocked him and crucified him because they did not know what they are doing.

Our response to God’s great gift to us through the cross is one of praise, repentance, and forgiveness.  Because Christ paid the ultimate price to forgive our sins, our response to others should be one of continual forgiveness.

Forgive continually; don’t hold on to those grudges you have been holding onto for years.  Forgive them and forget them.  Don’t let disputes between friends and family members go on without forgiving the hurtful things being said and done.  Instead of holding on to grudges, hold on to the example of continual forgiveness that Christ showed us on the cross.  Hold on to the promises that we have that God is always there with us, and that he has a perfect plan for our lives that is far better than we can ever imagine.

It’s often difficult to forgive, yet the remarkable thing about Jesus is that he forgives us even for the times we don’t perfectly forgive others. This forgiveness in turn gives us a remarkable strength to forgive others. God gives you the strength and ability to forgive. Do you need help forgiving? Jesus gives us the help we need to get into the habit of continual forgiveness.

No matter what kind of sin someone has done to you, God calls us to forgive because we have been forgiven.  We have been forgiven by a God who holds no record of our many sins, but instead loves us unconditionally.  Psalm 103:11-12 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” 

God delights to love us and to forgive us, and wants us to have that same attitude towards others.  We have been forgiven in order to forgive one another.  As forgiven brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s make it our policy to forgive continually in the name of our forgiving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

 

Holy Cross Day

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  From now let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Galatians 6:14,17

Tomorrow marks the church’s annual observance of Holy Cross Day. This celebration is one of the earliest annual celebrations of the church. Holy Cross Day traditionally commemorated the discovery of the original cross of Jesus on September 14, AD 320 in Jerusalem. The cross was said to be found by Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. It was Constantine who made this festival day official in AD 335.

While we celebrate and commemorate the fact that Helena may have found the original cross of Jesus – we also celebrate the fact that the cross of Christ can be found elsewhere. Where do we find the cross of Christ? Certainly we find the cross in church. We find the cross on many pieces of jewelry and sometimes even on the clothes we wear.

As a matter of fact, the cross can be found anywhere you go because in Baptism you were marked with the cross of Christ! In Baptism the sign of the cross is marked both upon your heart and your forehead to mark you as God’s child in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. While we don’t physically see those marks – by faith we know they are there. God has marked us as His own. Through the cross of Christ – God has made us His for all eternity.

With that in mind, it is no wonder that Paul speaks of boasting only in the cross of Christ. Surely we can boast only in the cross – for only the cross has the power to forgive sins, and only the cross has defeated sin, death, and the power of the devil.

May every cross we see be a reminder of the cross that was marked upon us – making us children of God and heirs with Christ to the riches of heaven for all eternity!

Never Forget - God is with us!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, of famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who love us.  Romans 8:35-37

Today is Patriot Day and marks the thirteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  Our thoughts go back to that day as we remember the tragic events that unfolded.  Do you remember where you were that day?  Do you remember the fears that day brought?  No one knew what was going to happen next.  We couldn’t believe what we were seeing on the television screens our eyes were glued to.  It seemed unreal – but the pain, suffering, and fear of that day were certainly real.  It is a day that will never be forgotten.

Do not fear…fear not…be not afraid.  Despite being worded in slightly different ways, the Bible makes the point clear – do not fear!  In fact, the Bible tells us not to fear 365 times – one time for every day of the year!  Why does the Bible remind us so often not to fear?  Because we need to be reminded - we have the promise that the love of Christ is always with us!

Fear was the main objective of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  By striking fear into the hearts of Americans, the terrorists were hoping to create mass chaos and panic.  Christians had the best response to the horrors of 9/11.  Instead of asking the popular question that arose in many people’s hearts, “Where was God on 9/11?” – Christians went to God in prayer knowing that NOTHING, not even the terrorist attacks, could separate us from the love of Christ!

The same is true now on the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11.  As Christians we continue to go to the Lord in prayer asking Him to keep our military personnel safe as they fight to keep us safe from the threats of terror, asking Him to comfort the families of those who lost their lives that terrible day, and asking God to continue blessing this great Nation according to His good and gracious will!

What a great promise we have from God – absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of Christ!  Absolutely nothing can separate us from the forgiveness, life, and salvation that Christ won for us through the cross and the empty tomb!

50/20 Vision

How good is your vision?  We all have different levels of vision.  Some of us are near sighted or far sighted, some need glasses or contacts, some need vision surgery, and some have naturally perfect vision.  Good vision is called 20/20 vision.  Some even have “eagle eyes” with 20/10 vision.  In the Old Testament account of Joseph, we see the best vision.   This vision is a vision of what God is doing for us in our lives.  This vision is seeing how God works to turn our sinful intentions and works them out for good through the forgiveness of sins.  This vision, shown to us in Genesis 50:20, is what I like to call 50/20 vision.

In our sinfulness it is hard for us to have this kind of 50/20 vision.  In our sinfulness we tend to focus only on the bad things that are happening to us right now.  We focus on things like feuds with family and friends, sickness and disease, loss of jobs, lack of money, the challenges of our economy, the pressure of politics, and hurtful things that people around us have said or done.  We also have sinful and selfish intentions of our own.

Joseph’s brothers had their own sinful intentions as well.  They intended for Joseph to lead a life of slavery far away from them and eventually die.  All this they did because they were jealous of their brother.  In the midst of bad times in our lives we sinfully tend to doubt the presence of God in our lives.  During these times, we fail see how God is actually working for the good in our lives at all times.  This is the sinful vision that we all have as we stand before God and His perfect vision.

It would have been very easy for Joseph to have his brothers put to death if he had held a grudge against them for selling him into slavery.  Instead Joseph saw the big picture.  Joseph loved his brothers despite everything they had done.  Joseph had already forgiven his brothers without question because he could see the big picture.  Joseph saw how God had worked through his brothers sinful intentions and was now saving many lives through him.  This is the big picture, that because of sin, it is hard for us to see.

God worked through all the terrible experiences that Joseph endured and through them saved many lives.  God has a grand vision over everything that takes place and, while not willing sin or evil, He is capable of directing everything to that which accomplishes His purpose.  People may just say that Joseph was a really lucky guy.  The truth is there is no such thing as luck.  What there is, is “providence”.  Which is the care and guidance of God over his creation.  We can see this providence in our own lives, but it takes “50/20 vision”.  When we look back at our lives we can see how God has blessed us in many ways.  Through 50/20 vision we are more able to discern the loving hand of the Lord in that which has happened to us in the past.  Augustine described it in this way:  “When you first consider your life, it looks like nothing but a bunch of chicken tracks in the mud of a barnyard, going this way and that.  But through the eyes of faith, we begin to discern pattern, meaning, direction.  Providence.”

God wants us to know that he wants what is best for our lives.  It is in the cross that God wants to be known and where He reveals His forgiveness and Himself for our good.  Jesus went to the cross for all of our sins.  He died for the sins that we still hold grudges about today, yet he forgives us of those sins through his death and resurrection.  From the cross Jesus even shows us true forgiveness when he prays for God to forgive the sins of those mocking him and crucifying him because they do not know what they are doing.

Another part of 50/20 vision is looking through the cross and realizing that we can forgive others because God will work through the sinful things in our lives and turn them into good according to his good and gracious will.  Our response to God’s great gift to us through the cross is one of praise, repentance, and forgiveness.  Because Christ paid the ultimate price to forgive our sins, our response to others should be one of continual forgiveness.  As Jesus says in Matthew 18:35, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”    Forgive continually; don’t hold on to those grudges you have been holding onto for years.  Forgive them and forget them.  Don’t let disputes between friends and family members go on without forgiving the hurtful things being said and done.  Instead of holding on to grudges, hold on to the example of continual forgiveness that Christ showed us on the cross.  Hold on to the promises that we have that God is always there with us, and that he has a perfect plan for our lives that is far better than we can ever imagine.

When we forgive others as Jesus instructs us to do in His Word, we can then see the big picture.  It is then that we can see the “50/20 vision” that we see in Genesis 50:20.  It is then that we can see how God has even worked through our sinful intensions and overcome them to show us his good and perfect will.

So how is your vision?  I pray that you may have the vision of Joseph, the 50/20 vision that allows us to see the work of Christ in every part of our lives.  The vision to see that even through hard times and struggles God is completing his good and perfect will in our lives.  The vision to see through the hurtful things that others say and do to us and to forgive them knowing that we have been forgiven by Christ.  Now that's good vision!